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Background: Treatment and special protection of the rights of incarcerated young people in prisons are mandated under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), as well as under United Nations (UN) human rights instruments., Methods: A scoping review mapped what is currently known about prison conditions and health situation of detained and incarcerated young people in sub- Saharan African (SSA) prisons. A systematic search collected and reviewed all available and relevant published and grey literature. Following application of exclusion measures, 54 records remained, which represented 37 of the 49 SSA countries. These records were charted and thematically analysed., Results: The ages of children and adolescents held in SSA prisons ranged from 12 to 18 years. Three main themes were generated during the charting exercise; the prison environment for young people; availability and accessibility of basic necessities and navigating the prison system for health care and outside continuum of care., Conclusions: The review highlights the grave and continuing deplorable situation of young people held in SSA prisons. The violation of international human rights norms is observed in the systemic abuse and detention of young people with adults. Basic needs are not met in relation to sanitation, ventilation, safe spaces, protection from physical and sexual violence, clothing, food and access to HIV and medical care.

Background: In recent times, sub-Saharan African (SSA) prisons have seen a substantial increase in women prisoners, including those incarcerated with children., Methods: A scoping review mapped what is currently known about the health situation and unique rights violations of children incarcerated with their mothers in SSA prisons. A systematic search collected and reviewed all available and relevant published and grey literature (2000-2018). Following application of exclusion measures, 64 records remained, which represented 27 of the 49 SSA countries. These records were charted and thematically analysed., Results: Four main themes were generated as follows: 1) the prison physical environment; 2) food availability, adequacy and quality; 3) provision of basic necessities and 4) availability and accessibility of health services for incarcerated children., Conclusions: The review highlights the grave situation of children incarcerated with their mothers in SSA prisons, underpinned by the lack of basic necessities, inadequate hygiene, sanitation and safe drinking water, exposure to diseases in overcrowded cells, inadequate nutrition, lack of provision of clothing and bedding, and difficulties accessing paediatric care. Reported paediatric morbidity and mortality associated with such prison conditions is deeply concerning and contrary to international mandates for the rights of the child, right to health and standards of care.

Background: People in prison are entitled to the highest attainable standard of health and humane treatment. We report on a Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) performance theatre initiative used as transformative health rights initiative in a female prison in Malawi. Methods: 40 women prisoners devised a play using TO concepts that depicted health and prison situational injustices. Eight trained male prisoner actors performed these situations, to which the whole prison audience (facilitators, women prisoners, prison officials, policy makers) discussed and generated solutions (n=76). We analysed group work in devising the play, the performance itself, and follow-up discussions with women prisoners and officials, using a thematic analysis. Results: Three themes emerged; 'poverty precluding committal and compounding lack of access to the outside world'; 'pursuit of female dignity and sexual autonomy', and 'relational aesthetic/social jusitice'. Conclusions TO offers an innovative medium to advance and actualize sexual health rights based approaches in prisons in Malawi, and Africa using a transformative sustainable development approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]